Kentucky Trivia
On December 5, 1792, a commission selected by the Kentucky Legislature chose Frankfort as its capital. The Commissioners wanted a site that pledged the most significant contribution toward constructing a statehouse. Several cities bid, but Frankfort’s offer of several town lots, rent money from a tobacco warehouse, various building materials, and $3,000 in cash from eight local citizens overwhelmed the others. Kentucky built a three-story statehouse, completed in 1794 which burned to the ground in 1813.
December 5, 1806, Kentuckians honored Aaron Burr with a grand ball in Frankfort. Kentucky in Retrospect by Lila Jones Kington pg: 44
December 5, 1891, Centre College defeated the Louisville Athletic Club on the gridiron in Louisville 14-0 in Centre’s 2nd of three games in the 1891 season, in Centre’s 2nd football season overall.
December 5, 1908, Special Deputy Sheriff Wiley Litteral, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while on a raid with the Lawrence County Deputies and U.S. Marshals who served a warrant at a home on Coon Creek.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Owensboro native Calvin Maglinger, born in 1924. Although Maglinger was better known for his paintings, he had proven capabilities in commercial and graphic art. He also wrote and illustrated two books and held several patents.
Calvin MaglingerDecember 5, 1930, Policeman Paris Tipton Cook, Pineville Police Department, died when a Bell County deputy, upset after not being appointed to the city police department, shot him.
December 5, 1931, Coach Harry Gamage’s Wildcats defeated the Florida Gators 7-2, to close out the regular season at 5-2-2.
December 5, 1950, Dr. Jackson, a professor of mathematics, claimed that electronic calculators might take over the tasks of millions of white-collar workers within a decade. Dr. Jackson consulted with the Ballistic Research Laboratory, which worked on electronic computing machines.
On December 5, 1953, Cawood Ledford called his 1st UK basketball game, Kentucky played Temple. Cawood’s previous experience included two years of high school basketball and football games for WHLN in Harlan and some work with WLEX in Lexington.
Monday, December 5, 1960, Governor B. Combs called for a state-wide crackdown on traffic laws when the 1960 death toll passed the 1959 total with three weeks remaining. Kentucky endured seven highway deaths over the weekend.
December 5, 1961, Kentucky changed the letters on Frankfort’s floral clock from “Kentucky” to “Peace on Earth” for the Christmas season. We also made the clock look like a wreath, making it the largest one on earth at the time.
December 5, 1964, at the Murray State College symposium, two experts on mental retardation agreed almost everyone, including specialists in the field, had talked too long about their disabilities and not their abilities. The Kentucky Task Force on Special Education for the Mentally Retarded held their 1st meeting three days after the symposium.
December 5, 1966, Air Force COL Burriss N. Begley from Hyden in Leslie County and Army SGT Paul McGaughey from Louisville both died fighting in the Vietnam War.
December 5, 1969, Jennie Lou Nunn received a kiss from her father, Governor L. Nunn, after he crowned her as Kentucky’s Cherry Blossom Princess in Washington, D.C. Later, she represented Kentucky in the annual Spring Festival in the capital city.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Susan Sloane-Lundy born in 1970. Susan is a retired American professional tennis player who was one of the top 20 best players in the world.
December 5, 1972, aides rushed former President Harry S. Truman, 88, to the hospital and doctors placed him in fair condition.
December 5, 1973, Judge James Amato sued over Judge James Park’s ruling when he ruled that Foster Pettit won Lexington’s mayor race by 54 votes after a recount. One count had Amato winning by 26 votes.
December 5, 1980, Kentucky suspended Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Thomas O. Harris and two other Kentucky Department of Agriculture employees without pay during the burley tobacco marketing season because of their close connections to warehouses.
December 5, 1987, a twin-engine plane crashed in flames on Versailles Road about 400 yards short of the runway at Bluegrass Airport. The Hawker Siddeley HS-Executive Jet tried to make an emergency landing after reporting an engine on fire.
December 5, 1998, Male defeated Tates Creek 31-7 for the Class 4A State High School Football Championship.
December 5, 2000, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Billy Ray Smith presented Governor P. Patton 26 homegrown Christmas Trees at the State Capitol. He displayed them throughout the Capitol grounds over the holidays.
December 5, 2004, workers dismantled and moved Richmond’s Woodlawn Home, built in 1822. Owsley Brown II, the Brown Foreman Corporation’s CEO, saved the historic home. Woodland is considered one of the finest examples of Federal-style architecture in Kentucky. The structure made Perseveration Kentucky’s most endangered list in 2002.
By Brenda YorkDecember 5, 2009, St. Xavier beat Trinity 34-10 for the Class 6A KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl.
December 5, 2010, Mitch McConnell called Julian Assange a “High Tech Terrorist” on NBC’s Meet the Press and wanted Assange prosecuted for divulging information. He added if he didn’t break any laws, the law should change. It seems Mitch is against freedom of the press and journalist exposing his dirty secrets.
December 5, 2014, Keeneland announced the 2015 Toyota Blue Grass would move to the opening Saturday of the Spring Meet and raised the purse from $750,000 to $1 million. Other stakes that day include the Central Bank Ashland.
December 5, 2018, a Louisville armored car driver drove off with $850,000. He should have driven the fortified mobile safe to its home base.
December 5, 2019, the process to legalize sports betting in Kentucky began when 40 Kentucky lawmakers pre-filed House bill 137.
On December 5, 2020, Kentucky reported 3,892 new cases and 23 deaths. With one day to go, the state set a new one-week record for the highest cases. The state also said 1,731 were hospitalized, 401 were in intensive care, and 226 were on ventilators. The governor made another unscientific and inaccurate statement, “Let’s do what it takes to crush this 3rd surge of cases and defeat this virus once and for all.”
Positives: 3,892 / 198,065
Deaths: 23 / 2,062 – 1st Death 3/16/20
50&over: 2,008 / 49-30: 51 / 29&under: 3
On December 5, 2022, Governor A. Beshear tweeted, “Folks, today we made history. We broke ground on @Ford and SK On’s BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County. This is a major step forward in Kentucky leading our country and the world into the future of the electric vehicle battery market.